The News

 One of the world's most famous New Yorkers is at the World's Most Famous Arena in New York today.

Former president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is hosting a rally in Madison Square Garden at 5 p.m. The Garden is home to the New York Knicks and Rangers with a variety of shows and concerts in between.

It can hold more than 20,000 people for boxing events and typically welcomes more than 19,000 for NHL and NBA games.

How many people are at Trump MSG rally?

Trump is at Madison Square Garden today looking to energize Republican voters. The event starts at 5 p.m., but doors opened to attendees at noon.

Tickets to Trump rallies are commonly first-come, first-served with no assigned seats. So, the number of tickets issued doesn’t always equal the number of attendees.

A study by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation estimates Trump’s rally crowds have averaged about 5,600 people this year.

While a venue bearing the name Madison Square Garden has been around for nearly a century, the current arena has been open since 1968.

Madison Square Garden hasn't held a political event in a long time. New York City and the surrounding area is a Democratic stronghold in recent presidential elections.

But, New York City did throw its hat in the ring to host this year's Democratic National Convention. The DNC was in MSG in 1924, 1976, 1980 and 1992. The arena hosted the Republican National Convention in 2004.

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Former presidents John F. Kennedy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Richard Nixon held events in MSG. FDR and Nixon's events were campaign rallies.

Other global figures have been to the Garden in past decades, some with better legacies than others. Pope Francis held a mass in MSG in front of a capacity crowd in 2015. Pope St. John Paul II also held a youth rally in the arena in 1979.

In February 1939, the arena was host to a rally held by the German American Bund, a Nazi-supporting American-based group that gained popularity during World War II. The arena was at capacity for that event.

 Yet another WNBA team announced a coaching change when the Indiana Fever said Sunday that they had "parted ways" with coach Christie Sides.

The Fever, who were led by 2024 No. 1 pick and rookie of the year Caitlin Clark, are coming off the franchise's first playoff berth since 2016.

Under Sides, who spent two years as head coach, Indiana went 33-47, including a 20-20 record in 2024. The Fever's season ended with a two-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs by the Connecticut Sun.

Sides was hired after the 2022 campaign to replace Marianne Stanley and her interim successor, Carlos Knox. Sides had two seasons remaining on a four-year contract. The Fever have not had a head coach stay longer than three seasons since Lin Dunn (2008-14).

Indiana started the 2024 season with a 1-8 in record in May, going up against what ESPN Analytics deemed the toughest schedule in the WNBA prior to the Olympic break. The Fever eventually figured out an identity surrounding their new franchise piece in Clark and from June 1 to Sept. 10 boasted the third-best record in the league at 18-9. Their offensive rating (109.6 points per 100 possessions) was best in the league after the Olympic break.

We are incredibly thankful to Coach Sides for embracing the challenge of leading us through an integral transition period over the last two seasons, while also positioning us well for future growth," Fever president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf said in a statement. "While decisions like these are never easy, it is also imperative that we remain bold and assertive in the pursuit of our goals, which includes

maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA championship back to Indiana. Coach Sides was an incredible representative of the Fever and our community, and we wish her nothing but success in the future."

Earlier this month, Krauskopf -- a former Indiana Pacers executive who announced she was returning to the Fever after a lengthy career with the franchise -- appeared to give a vote of confidence in Sides.

"It takes time," Krauskopf said at her introductory news conference. "It took a long time for the teams that I've had to jell and to get together, I mean, years. It doesn't happen in four months. It takes a few years. I was really impressed with the progress that they made and how Christie is a resilient leader. You know, she's a culture builder. I know just that she's got that kind of, you know, stamina to stick to it and stick to her plan, and she's a good person, and she's a great leader. I was impressed with the way they finished."

The Fever, who along with Clark return 2023 rookie of the year Aliyah Boston and hope to re-sign All-Star Kelsey Mitchell in free agency, will enter 2025 with a new head coach, general manager (the recently hired Amber Cox) and president in Krauskopf.

Indiana is now the sixth WNBA team with a head-coach opening, alongside the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics. Six of the bottom seven teams in the standings are all looking for a new coach.

 Saka has missed our last two games after picking up a hamstring injury while on international duty, and Timber has recovered from a groin problem after sitting out the last three matches.

However we are without both Riccardo Calafiori – who went off injured against Shakhtar Donetsk – and William Saliba who serves a one-match suspension for his red card against Bournemouth.

It means the back four consists of Thomas Partey, Ben White, Gabriel and Timber – ahead of David Raya in goal.

Declan Rice is joined in midfield by Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard, before the front line of Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz.

Saka takes the armband as Martin Odegaard is still unavailable.

The visitors are without Diogo Jota, who picked up an injury in their last league meeting against Chelsea, he’s replaced by Darwin Nunez. They make two other changes from that 2-1 win, with Alexis Mac Allister replacing Dominic Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz coming in for Cody Gakpo. 

Arsenal: Raya, Partey, White, Gabriel, Timber, Rice, Merino, Trossard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz. Subs: Neto, Zinchenko, Kiwior, Nichols, Myles-Skelly, Jorginho, Nwaneri, Sterling, Jesus.

Liverpool: Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson, Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Diaz, Salah, Nunez. Subs: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Endo, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Tsimikas, Quansah, Morton.